A growing number of Trump supporters are calling for a boycott of Authentic Restaurant Brands, the parent company of Pittsburgh culinary staple Primanti Brothers, after a Primanti Brothers manager refused to allow Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance inside the building.
The incident took place on Saturday, September 28, when Vance travelled to the chain’s North Versailles, Pennsylvania location to meet with a large group of supporters. Vance intended to make a quick appearance at the restaurant, meet with patrons and tip the staff, though he was barred from entry, according to several eyewitnesses and videos from the scene.
An employee reportedly told the campaign that this was “not a campaign stop” and that “JD’s not allowed in.” In addition, the restaurant manager threatened to call the police if Vance entered the establishment, an eyewitness told Fox News.
Sean Logue, an attorney from the Pittsburgh area who witnessed the interaction, uploaded several videos from inside the store to social media. “J.D. Vance’s SUV pulls up, Secret Service comes into the restaurant, Secret Service guards the area between the SUV and the entrance to the restaurant. J.D. Vance, he gets out, and then the manager runs out and yells at him and says, you can’t come in here,” he said.
He then reported that the manager called company headquarters and was told that Vance was not allowed in the building.
The Republican senator then headed to the parking lot to meet with the large group of supporters gathered there, and sent staffers into the restaurant to get contact information for supporters who were not able to meet. He also paid for everyone’s food, tipped the restaurant staff and wrote “no tax on tips if you vote for Trump” on his receipt.
While Vance was barred from entry, the exact same location reportedly cleared out paying customers and replaced them with Harris supporters for a “private event” nearly a month earlier. The “private event” turned out to be a visit from Vice President Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, who proceeded to mingle with “patrons” and pose for photos.
“I wanted to watch some sports and enjoy an afternoon lunch,” Moon Township resident Mark Dodson told Fox News. “Around 3:30, the bartender, she goes, ‘It’s last call’ – what do you mean last call?”
Outside the restaurant, kicked out patrons and Trump supporters protested the event. Some protesters accused the Harris Campaign of employing “actors” in order to make the campaign stop appear more authentic.
After the Vance incident, a number of social media users called for a boycott of Authentic Restaurant Brands, the parent company of Primanti Brothers. The restaurant currently operates 43 locations across the United States, 34 of which are in Pennsylvania.
The company also owns P.J. Whelihans, a sports bar and restaurants that operates 22 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Pollotropical, which operates more than 150 locations mostly in the U.S. south and southwest, and Mambo Seafood, which operates 16 locations across Texas.
In response to the controversy, Primanti Brothers attempted to walk it back and claimed their doors are open to patrons of all political persuasions. “Primanti’s prides itself on being a staple of the Pittsburgh community and a proud American business that has hosted sitting presidents, politicians, and political candidates from across the spectrum for over 90 years,” the company wrote in a statement.
“Without any advance notice, today’s campaign stop caused some momentary confusion for our staff. However, Senator Vance and his team were welcomed into our restaurant shortly after and engaged with our guests inside and on the property,” the statement continued, seemingly contradicting videos from the restaurant.
“Senator Vance’s supportive comments that our manager got a little nervous given the secret service, police and crowd accurately reflect the nature of what occurred, but we are glad that it was resolved quickly.”
